Rampage's record displeases Panthers

Showing so far ‘unacceptable;' shakeup possible.

Published 11:56 pm, Wednesday, November 16, 2011

The Rampage haven't even played a quarter of their AHL schedule, yet there are rumblings within the parent Florida Panthers' organization that a shakeup could be looming unless the team turns things around.

And quickly.

“It's unacceptable,” general manager Mike Santos said of the club's 5-9 record, worst in the 30-team league. “I've had a meeting with the players and several with the coaches. We're here to develop players, but winning is a part of development. I don't want to develop losers.”

In a wide-ranging interview while in San Antonio recently, Santos, who also is the Panthers' assistant GM based in Sunrise, Fla., expressed dismay not only in the team's record — in particular its 3-7 home mark — but its overall performance.

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The Rampage have been particularly woeful in their special-teams play. They rank 29th in power-play efficiency and last in killing off penalties.

But most alarming has been the lack of offensive production. The Rampage have scored an AHL-worst 29 goals in 14 games.

“You're not going to win in any league, let alone the American Hockey League, when you're scoring two goals a game,” Santos said.

He suggested the team's practice habits could be partly to blame.

“If you don't shoot to score in practice, you can't shoot to score in a game,” he said. “Whether that's because our practices are poorly designed, or because the players just aren't working hard enough, we'll figure that out.”

Santos said everyone is being held accountable, players as well as coaches. He stopped short of giving head coach Chuck Weber a vote of confidence.

“I don't believe in vote of confidences,” Santos said. “We gave Chuck a vote of confidence when we hired him just over a year ago. He's here to do a job. Right now, the team's not performing.”

Some people connected to the Rampage have questioned whether the roster is talented enough to produce a winner. The team started the season with a rookie goaltender, and a couple of its better players have been recalled by Florida.

“I don't believe that there's an issue with the personnel,” Santos said. “There's several guys on this team who have scored 20 or more goals in the AHL and been able to score on the NHL level. There's no reason for them not to be successful here.”

The Rampage, who spent the past six seasons as the top affiliate of the Phoenix Coyotes, already have made some changes. They recently recalled players from their East Coast Hockey League and Central Hockey League affiliates and benched a handful of veterans. Santos said more moves could be in order.

“These guys will either figure out a way to do it, or we'll find others who will,” he said. “I'm committed to this. If I have to move here and buy a home, I'll do it. They deserve a winner here.”